Rich natural resources such as gold and diamonds, vast stretches of lush rain forest, and abundant timber make this huge country spectacularly beautiful. Unfortunately, due to these same resources, it is also one of the poorest nations in the world. In this information-packed book, students will be introduced to the Democratic Republic of the Congo, a country valiantly struggling to recover from historical abuse and ongoing war, a geographic paradise in the midst of political turmoil kept alive by the presence of the United Nations and 17,000 peacekeeping troops.